Republican Lawmakers Attack Fauci Over COVID Coverage Influence

The controversy erupted after Terry Moran, a former ABC News senior national correspondent, disclosed on a podcast that a 2021 investigative report he prepared on the virus’s potential laboratory origins was substantially altered following what he described as a legal review connected to Fauci, according to Carter Schroppe writing in Washington Examiner.

Speaking on The Fifth Column podcast, Moran detailed how his early 2021 story examining the lab leak theory was gutted before broadcast. The piece had featured interviews with molecular biologists and former Trump administration officials and included reporting that the Wuhan laboratory had received Chinese military funding.

When the segment was set to air, it underwent what Moran described as an extensive review process. The returned version left him furious and confused. When podcast host Michael Moynihan asked if the changes came from legal review, Moran confirmed it was subject to lawyer’s standards and that he was told Fauci was involved.

Moran recounted being in the broadcast booth, livid and cursing as the heavily edited 15-minute piece prepared to air. He said the final version was incomprehensible, loaded with caveats and legalese that stripped it of its investigative value. He has never rewatched the broadcast because it no longer reflected his work.

Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky responded sharply to the disclosure, stating that the Anthony Fauci-led coverup extended to editorial control over ABC News. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis called the situation a pathetic indictment of the network.

The revelations come as Fauci faces mounting scrutiny over his pandemic response. At a recent Senate hearing led by Paul, the former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director invoked his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination more than 100 times.

Recently disclosed text messages between former CDC Director Rochelle Walensky and Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy also revealed Fauci provided different assessments of COVID-19 vaccine safety during pregnancy in private communications compared to his public statements.

In a recent Substack essay, Moran acknowledged that ABC News frequently excluded pro-Trump viewpoints from its coverage. Were we biased? Yes. Almost inadvertently, I’d say, he wrote.

Moran was terminated from ABC News in June 2025 for violating company news policies after posting on social media that White House advisor Stephen Miller was a world-class hater. He had served as the network’s senior national correspondent for seven years.

With information from Washington Examiner